A civil rights supporter holds up a photo of Breonna Taylor as she attend the 60th Anniversary Of The March On Washington at the Lincoln Memorial in August 26, 2023. The march commemorates the 60th anniversary of Dr, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where more than a quarter of a million people marched on the National Mall for civil rights. (Photo by Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images) Source: Probal Rashid / Getty
It’s been five years since Louisville police fatally shot and killed Breonna Taylor, and despite rallying cries, protests, policy advocacy, and on-the-ground activism, Black women still do not feel safe in America.
What was supposed to be a good night’s rest on March 13, 2020 became the unthinkable when police entered Taylor’s home to serve a no-knock warrant. When her boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired a shot thinking they were intruders, the officers returned fire, ultimately killing Taylor. She was 26 years old.
Taylor’s death was wedged in between similar tragedies. Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was shot and killed while jogging in a Georgia suburb. He was pursued and shot by a retired police detective, who with his son and a third man, who captured Arbery’s death on video. George Floyd, 46, was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for approximately eight minutes.
In order to bring proper light and attention to Taylor’s case, the hashtag #SayHerName was deployed across social media, and on WNBA uniforms, and Taylor’s photo was sprawled across magazine covers. For a moment, it seemed like she would receive justice, but when charges for her murder weren’t issued until two years after she was killed, it was a stark reminder of the value placed on Black women in this country, which sometimes feels nonexistent.
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Source: Courier Journal / Handout
One can argue that when it comes to the American totem pole, Black women are at the very bottom. Despite being the most educated group in the U.S. (per the National Center of Education Statistics), and being the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs, Black women like myself still do not feel safe in this country.
A Washington Post investigation released shortly after Taylor’s death in 2020 determined that 247 women were fatally shot by police officers out of more than 5,600 people killed since 2015. Of that number, 48 of them were Black.
When it was announced that former Vice President Kamala Harris would be running for office in 2024, my heart skipped a beat, not necessarily out of happiness, but because I feared for her safety as a Black woman campaigning to become president.
I have witnessed from an early age that Black women are often at the forefront whenever someone needs help. Whether it’s within the family—through matriarchs like my grandmothers; in the schools—through teachers who allowed students to vent about something that was troubling us, or when I turned on the television and saw a Black woman simply being a spokesperson for injustices in America, it seems like we’re always fighting for others. But I’m always left with the question—who is fighting for us?
Social media is always filled with negative comments about Black women and our bodies, who we date, etc. And don’t be a Black woman on a fast-track to success because it won’t be long before the online hate for merely existing starts.
Take Doechii for example. Her 2025 is panning out very well. She won a Grammy for Best Rap album, becoming only the third woman to do so, following legends like Lauryn Hill (1999) and Cardi B (2019). Yet, when she recently shared her dating preferences, and seemingly jokingly called straight men a “red flag,” social media went up in flames, with many men doing what they do best—tearing down Black women.
Time and time again, we see instances where Black women are told to shrink themselves to make other people feel comfortable. But even if we do, it does not change how the world sees us.
Protesters stand in front of a local Cuban restaurant while on September 9, 2025 chanting slogans during the demonstration. Protesters assembled in Louisville to protest against the Grand Jury decision to only indict one of the three Louisville Metro Police Officers who were involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor with first degree wanton endangerment charges. Protesters hoped all three police officers would be indicted for killing Breonna Taylor, but the decision from the grand jury does not address Taylor’s killing with the indictment. The decision from the grand jury has created unrest within Louisville and across the nation. Source: SOPA Images / Getty
So, again, the question remains: Will Black women ever feel safe in America?
Taylor’s case is just one example of how we can’t even get a peaceful rest without being a target of violence. Many others came before Taylor—Black women like Sandra Bland, who was found hanging in a Texas jail cell three days after being arrested during a traffic stop. Atatiana Jefferson is another Black woman fatally shot by a police officer inside her home. Tanisha Fonville is yet another Black woman killed in her home by a police officer during a mental health emergency. There are countless others whose names never saw the light of day.
In a Trump America that feels slightly worse than when he was first in office from 2016 to 2020, I as a Black woman can undoubtedly say that I do not feel safe, especially when the man in charge of the country is encouraging the policing of our bodies, canceling our jobs, and putting a harsh twist on the education of our children.
The only time I feel safe as a Black woman is when I am in the company of my sisters. If it weren’t for community and the fantastic Black women I surround myself with, this could all feel so isolating. I understand that everyone doesn’t have a support system to lean on, so ultimately, the answer is no. Even five years after the death of Breonna Taylor, Black women are not safe in America.
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